Thill coupling



2 SheetsSheet 1.

(No Model.)

W. J CARD.

THILL COUPLING.

Patented July 2, 1889.

William J. Card n. PETERS. mwum'a n hu. Washington.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. J. CARD.

THILL COUPLING.

(No Model.)

No. 406,388. Patented July 2, 1889 I/VVEZ/VTOfl wifiiam J C'ard r ls ditorney WIZWESSE'S UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM J. CARD, OF CLEAN, NEWV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO B. L. GAGE, OF

' SAME PLACE, AND WILLIAM IWIELLIN N.

THILL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 406,388, dated July 2, 1889.

Application filed February 25, 1889- Serial No. 301,023. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. CARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Olean, in the county of Cattaraugus and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thill-Couplings; andl do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Figure 1 is a central section of this device. Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing parts separated. Fig. 3 is a detail of the sleeve. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the device. Fig. 5

is a top plan view of it.

This invention belongs to that class designated thill-couplings; and the novelty consists in the slotted head having inside it a slotted sleeve movable by a lever and adapted to be locked by a spring-actuated bolt, and in the novel construction of these parts and their combination as a whole, all as will 'now be more fully set out and explained, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, A denotes the couplingpiece, made of a single piece of metal. and adapted to be fastened in any desirable way to a vehicle. At one end is the hollow head A, slotted at a at right angles to the length of the coupling. Inside this head A is a sleeve 13, having a slotb of same size as slot a in the hollow head. \Vhen this sleeve is turned in this head by means of the lever 12, integral with or attached to the sleeve and just outside the head, till its slot 1) comes into conjunction with the slot a, there is formed a continuous opening for the slotted end of the thill C to be dropped into. In this position the end of the thill will be held by revolving the sleeve by means of the lever, thus causing the slot b to be turned against the closed part of the hollow head, in which it moves. When this sleeve has been turned about onequarter round, the said slot Z) comes opposite the end of the rod D, which is fitted lengthwise in a suitable socket or hole in the coupling. This rod, being actuated by the spiral spring E about it, is at this moment moved forward till its end enters the slot, and thus locks the sleeve in position, and consequently securely fastens the thill end in the coupling.

In this posit-ion of the parts named the flanged end I) of the sleeve B closes one side of the slot a. It will also be noted that in this position the end of the inner spring-actuated rod D acts directly upon the end of the thillcoupling in the sleeve, and thus said rod, in addition to locking the sleeve, acts as an antirattling device. To remove the thill, the spring-actuated rod is retracted by taking hold of head (.1 on the end of the rod on the outside of the coupling and the sleeve turned round. The piece F on the side of the coupling which comes close to the inner edge of the hollow or opening through the head is adapted to receive the pressure of the thill when the vehicle is being backed, and thus pretent any strain on the spring-actuated rod D.

A thill-coupling made according to this invention has among other points of advantage over any and all others I know of this one in particular: the several parts will not rattle, and as they are all strong and durable there will be but seldom, if ever, any necessity for repair or reconstruction. A pair of the couplings as put in place will, as a rule, last as long as the carriage to which they are attached.

The means and manner by which this coupling is'attached to the vehicle will be readily understood by any one skilled in this line of invention. The device is simple in structure, neat, and strong. In mere detail of manufacture of course slight and mechanical changes will be made, but which will not vary in any essential point the novelty or the invention above described.

Having now described my invention, what I consider new, and wish to patent, is

1. In a thill-coupling, the combination of the slotted hollow head, the slotted sleeve movable inside said head, the lever actuating said sleeve, and a spring-actuated rod adapted to enter the slot in the sleeve to lock the sleeve, all substantially as described.

2. In a thill-coupling composed of a slotted and hollow head, a slotted sleeve fitting into said head for the slotted end of the thill to be dropped into, and a spring-actuated rod acting at once to lock the sleeve and upon the end of the thill, substantially as set forth.

In a thin-coupling, a spring-actuated rod D, combined with the slotted and flanged sleeve and the hollow and slotted head, substantially as described.

4. In a thin-coupling device, the combination of the following" elements, Viz: a slotted and hollow head, a slotted sleeve fitting therein, a longitudinally-moving and spring-actuated rod adapted to act in conjunction with said slotted sleeve, and a side piece on the coupling which acts to receive backward pressure on the thill and prevent any strain on the spring.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

\VILIJIAM J. CARD.

\Vitnesses:

H. E. DICKINSON, U. V. SAGE. 

